Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Presents Esperanza Spalding with her Chamber Music Society

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents Esperanza Spalding on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, at 7:30 p.m., at the Byham Theater. Ms. Spalding's current tour features music from her current release Chamber Music Society. Inspired by her classical training, Chamber Music Society brings a modern chamber music sound that combines spontaneity and intrigue of improvisation with sweet and angular string trio arrangements. Her latest recording brought her a nomination for Up and Coming Jazz Artist of the Year (2010) by the Jazz Journalists Association. This performance is part of the Cohen & Grisby Trust Presents series.

Tickets ($20.75-$37.75) may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), online at www.pgharts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. To purchase 10 or more tickets at special discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930.

Tickets ($20.50, $32.50 and $37.50) may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), online at www.pgharts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. To purchase 10 or more tickets at special discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930.

At age four, after watching classical cellist Yo Yo Ma perform on an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, the roadmap was suddenly very clear to Ms. Spalding. "That was when I realized that I wanted to do something musical," she says. "It was definitely the thing that 'hipped' me to the whole idea of music as a creative pursuit." Within a year, she had essentially taught herself to play the violin well enough to land a spot in The Chamber Music Society of Oregon, a community orchestra that was open to both children and adult musicians, where she trained and performed until age 15. During her time with the Oregon orchestra she also became concertmaster. Ms. Spalding discovered the bass during her teenage years and all of the non-classical music avenues it afforded her. Before long she was playing blues, funk, hip-hop and a variety of other styles on the local club circuit. Esperanza continued her music education at Portland State University and Berklee College.

Spalding has collaborated with various musicians and vocalists including pianist Michel Camilo, vibraphonist Dave Samuels, bassist Stanley Clarke, guitarist Pat Metheny, singer Patti Austin, and saxophonists Donald Harrison and Joe Lovano. Other notable career highlights include a performance at the White House, award for best selling album by a new jazz artist for her 2008 release Esperanza, and her music has remained on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz charts for over 70 weeks. In 2010, Ms. Spalding was featured in The New Yorker, and O, The Oprah Magazine about Women on the Rise. The New York Times raved about her recording, "Esperanza has got a lot: accomplished jazz improvisation, funk, scat singing, Brazilian vernacular rhythm and vocals in English, Portuguese and Spanish. At its center is a female bassist, singer and bandleader, one whose talent is beyond question."

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is the cultural and economic development of Pittsburgh's 14-block Cultural District through public and private support. The Trust presents and encourages diverse performing and visual arts programs within the District, and is an impetus for additional development in downtown Pittsburgh. In addition to the Trust Presents series, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series, Pittsburgh Dance Council, Pittsburgh International Children's Theater and Children's Festival, CD Live, JazzLive, First Night Pittsburgh, Gallery Crawl, and Three Rivers Arts Festival, among other Cultural District and arts events. The Trust owns Theater Square and the Cabaret at Theater Square; James E Rohr Building & Arts Education Center; the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts; Byham, O'Reilly, and Harris Theaters; visual arts galleries: Wood Street Galleries, at 601 Wood Street; SPACE, at 812 Liberty Avenue and 937 Liberty: a multipurpose performance and exhibit space, among other downtown arts facilities. www.pgharts.org

 

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